Mets vs. Marlins Recap: Miami takes series finale

The Mets lost the final game of their four-game series last night at Citi Field, 6-4. The team got a little offense late, but looked like the same team that’s had a hard time with runners in scoring position over the past few months.

Jacob deGrom started for the Mets and threw a lot of pitches early on, crossing the 40-pitch plateau before the end of the second inning. In the third inning, Christian Yelich knocked in the first run of the game, giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead. In the fifth, back-to-back doubles by Jeff Francouer and Xavier Scruggs plated two more runs, and that was the end of deGrom’s night. He walked four and struck out six over his five innings.

Of great concern to Mets fans was the fact that deGrom signaled to Ray Ramirez to follow him into the clubhouse after the fifth. After the game, deGrom claimed that everything was fine, that he just ‘wanted to talk to Ray.’

Marlins starter Jose Urena fared much better, giving up only a solo home run to Jay Bruce over six innings, both walking and striking out two. That isn’t to say that his night was perfectly smooth—he stranded the bases loaded in the second inning after deGrom was robbed of a hit by a diving Yelich, and had at least one baserunner in all but the first inning.

Josh Smoker relieved deGrom and gave up a three-run home run to Yelich, who did it all for Miami tonight. Aside from Smoker’s rough seventh, Fernando Salas, Sean Gilmartin, and Logan Verrett all looked good, allowing only one baserunner apiece, save for Gilmartin, who was perfect in relief. Salas, acquired at the waiver trade deadline on Wednesday, gave up one hit and struck out one in his inning of work.

In the eighth, the Mets started to show some signs of life. Curtis Granderson led off the inning with a double, followed by singles from Kelly Johnson and Jay Bruce, the latter of which scored Granderson. Wilmer Flores then walked, bringing the bases loaded with no outs. Michael Conforto, who had doubled, been hit by a pitch, and reached on an error in his first game back in the majors, promptly grounded into a double play, and then pinch hitter Yoenis Cespedes struck out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, with Travis d’Arnaud on first base, pinch hitter Asdrubal Cabrera hit his 18th home run of the year, bringing the Mets within two runs. However, Marlins closer Fernando Rodney made quick work of Jose Reyes, Granderson, and Johnson to end the game.

As it currently stands, the Mets are two back of the Cardinals for the second Wild Card spot, sitting ahead of the Pirates and Marlins. The Nationals arrive in town tomorrow for a three-game series with the Mets, while the Pirates play the Brewers, and the Marlins play the Indians. Noah Syndergaard matches up with A.J. Cole in the series opener at Citi.

SB Nation GameThreads

Amazin’ Avenue
Fish Stripes

Box scores

ESPN
MLB

Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big winners: None
Big losers: Jacob deGrom (-13.5% WPA), Josh Smoker (-11.6% WPA), James Loney (-10.0% WPA)
Teh aw3s0mest play: Jay Bruce’s solo home run in the sixth, 9.2% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Michael Conforto grounds into a double play with no outs and the bases loaded in the eighth, -15.6% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: -24.2% WPA
Total batter WPA: -25.8% WPA
GWRBI!: Christian Yelich’s three-run home run